With my first pregnancy i mostly went along with the doctor even though it made me a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to recommend every test and procedure during my pregnancy without really explaining the risks and benefits. So now im back and 10 weeks pregnant. We do selective vaccinations because i really want to weigh the pros and cons. And id like to do the same with pregnancy tests.

The truth of the matter is im just not a worrier. I want minimal medical intervention but i dont want to big risks either. I dont have any risk factors and the first pregnancy was uncomplicated.

For example, the anatomy scan. It took over an hour and a half with different technicians coming and going. The problem was the the umbilical cord attachment. They made it sound really scary and like there was a huge problem. But i questioned them about it there was nothing indicating there was a problem, they just didnt have a clear view. I said it was fine and dont worry about it. Is there a way to get just the basics scanned and not worry about every little measurement? I dont want them to focus on every little potential problem, just the ones most likely to be good indicators of big problems.

there's a lot of information in that thread about what testing people feel is important and which testing they feel is extraneous.

To answer here: I get the first blood test and the first urine test. My doctors do not do either of those at any other appts until the glucose test, which I get. I also get the strep test, which I think is very important. 1) so you can avoid the antibiotics if you are not positive and 2) so you can avoid your baby ending up in the NICU if you are positive and you didn't treat for it.

As for ultrasounds, I generally get 2. The first one at about 11 weeks and then the one that's around 20-25 weeks. Whether those are necessary or not depends on your situation. For instance, if you do not plan to terminate the pregnancy if there's a problem, then they are less critical. Although, if there is a problem, it is good for them to know in advance so that when you go into labor, the proper specialists can be called in, if needed. Getting quick care for your baby.

ETA: because Canadianbakers reminded me -
I do the blood pressure every time, and the heartbeat. I wasn't offered any cervical checks before labor with DD and when I asked, they said if I wanted it, but it wasn't necessary. I decided I didn't want it. I will do the same with this baby. I went into labor thick and closed, so I don't think that cervical checks are remotely necessary.

__________________
SAHM to Magnolia May (09/10) and Luke Russett (04/13) and wife and best friend to my airman.

For me, I have (with past pregnancies) done a urine dip at each prenatal appt, as well as checking blood pressure, weight gain, fundal height, and baby's heartrate.
I have the anatomy u/s at 20 weeks, do the gestational diabetes test, and do the GBS swab.
I decline any vaginal exams/cervical checks until laboring, or when I was overdue with Levi - although this was useless and I likely wouldn't do it again.

I do labwork to have my platelets checked at each appt - this is not the norm, but I have a platelet issue that causes my levels to drop. We need to keep an eye on where my levels are at, especially nearing the end of my pregnancy.

With Elliana's pregnancy we ended up doing things differently - different situations bring about different choices, and that's how it should be. We had additional u/s at the fetal assessment unit in the city, and we did an amniocentesis with her. Again, these were decisions made based on the issues revealed at the 20 week u/s, not what we would do with a normal pregnancy/baby.

Crap, and I meant to say - I wouldn't put them down about wanting a good look at the cord placement/attachment with your previous pregnancy. There is a serious issue that they can find on u/s, and it's likely they were trying to rule that out.

My OB did a urine dip at each appt, checked heartbeat, fundal height. I had 3 sonograms at 8 weeks, 20 weeks, and 32 weeks. I had some early bleeding hence the 8 week sonogram, and one of his kidneys measured large at 20 weeks so they rechecked it at 32 to make sure it was normal. I also did the GD test, and I had to have my blood drawn every 4 weeks to check my thyroid levels. I cinsent to most tests bc I trust my OB's judgement. We declined all genetic tests. The results of those wouldn't have changed anything we did so we didnt want any undue stress. Just our preference.

During the anatomy scan they spent 45 min with different technicians coming and going making it sound really scary that something was going on. They eventually explained that everything looked normal but they couldnt get as great of a view as they would have liked. I just dont want the undue stress and worry for things like this.